Reborn a Hero
by sealopsco
Summary: A normal young man, Martin Rosenthal was out hiking on the Appalachian trail when he was struck by lightening. That fateful moment pulled him into a world he hardly understands, with an elf he doesn't know. Now it is up to Martin and Alleyne to save the Elvish people against the humans trying to overreach their territory.
1. Over the Cliff

It was a dull and overcast morning that greeted Martin there on the top of a ridge in the Appalachian Mountains. He was out to hike the Appalachian Trail that runs from North Georgia all the way to Maine. He'd heard all kinds of great things about hiking the trail, and he hadn't been disappointed in the least. The weather has been great up until that morning, and the air had been pure and clean the whole trip. After three days alone in the wilderness, he'd started to regret coming alone. He knew it wasn't safe to go by himself, but he was a reasonably strong man. He knew how to handle a staff and tie a rope, so he wasn't worried. In retrospect, it's not what he could and couldn't do, it's 'what if he got hurt'.

Rising from the sleeping bag and crawling from the tent, Martin Rosenthal stood to his full height. He was a tallish man, of moderate proportions. His brown hair was chopped short, and his green eyes told of an adventurous spirit. He looked out over the bluish valley and smelled the clean air, thick with the scent of life and coming rain. As he closed his eyes, he could hear the leaves rustling as the wind blew steadily. He began to grow worried, and started tearing down camp before the storm caught him high on this exposed ridge. As he finished loading his rucksack, the wind slacked off, giving him a bit of comfort as he set off to the trail to lower ground. Looking at the path, he forced himself to stop and think on the situation. The trail was thin, with a cliff next to it. The cliff was steep, but not too incredibly tall. It wasn't the best thing, but he couldn't go down the main path since it followed the top of ridge, rendering him even more exposed. He decided that the shorter path that lead downward was better than the path that stayed exposed. His mind made up, he began making his way down the path. As he headed down, he thought again about how exposed the cliff was, and how awful the whole situation was. He was stupid to have camped up there, and he knew that when he bedded down. Cursing his luck, Martin kept to the path.

Then there was a feeling, something shimmering down his spine, setting his hair on end. Thinking it was just his imagination, he decided to ignore it and move more quickly down the slope. He was completely unprepared when the whole world was split around him, sizzling and exploding in his head. He was thrown from the trail, and fell through the canopy hitting the ground hard. He had a moment to reminisce on his life, but it was interrupted by the face of a woman with perfect angles, icy blond hair, and very long ears. This vision filling his mind, he fell unconscious.

Waking up groggy and confused, he tried to look around in the dim lighting. It appeared that he was in a bed, inside of some kind of tree. There were a few candles scattered around the simple room, giving it that dull glow. His head had a strange feeling, and his body seemed lighter and more lithe than before. He sat upright in the bed to examine himself, and the sight that presented itself was stunning. His muscles had become far more defined, and much more lean. His skin had grown pale, and as he reached up to feel his face, he noticed his beard was gone. More than that, feeling his head, he found that his ears had grown long and pointed. At this, he bolted from the bed to look into the mirror hanging on the wall over a set of dresser drawers. The candles were hardly enough to make the room well-lit, but he could at least see his face. And what a face it was. The angles of his face had become sharp, and his eyes were a much brighter shade of blue than before. The pointed ears looked like that of an elf, and his hair was a shimmering blond color. It wasn't ugly, but it sure as hell wasn't him. His reaction to his sudden change was interrupted by the sound of a door opening. Turning to look, he saw the same angelic elf woman he saw before he blacked out.

He gave her a good look-over before beginning to demand explanation. She was of average height, and barely dressed. Her incredibly ample chest and shapely hips were clad in some kind of leafy green garment, her shoulders shrouded in a red cape, and atop her head was a red beret. She wore stockings and elbow-length gloves that looked like the clothes on her chest and hips. Her blue eyes regarded him curiously from their homes in her passive, angled face. The long silvery blond hair falls about her shoulders idyllically, with a small braid that hung over her chest. Indeed, he had never seen a woman so beautiful.

"What happened to me? Why am I here? What are you? More importantly, what am I?" He began ranting, getting louder with each question, until he was almost yelling at the last. He took a step her way, standing tall over her. She, however, wasn't fazed in the slightest. In fact, she seemed defiant.

"Sit down, child," she said with a commanding tone. Martin, however, was unmoved.

"Not until you answer my questions," he responded firmly. Just this morning, he was hiking in Tennessee, and now he was God knows where. He needed answers. Now.

She sighed with a bit of exasperation, and began to speak in a smooth, clear voice. "I am an elf, and by the looks of it, so are you. I have no idea how or why you are here. I do know that lightning struck the cliff near where I was patrolling, and when I went to investigate, I found you lying on the ground naked. I brought you here and clothed you. Would you mind sitting down, so we can talk civilly?" She said, motioning towards the bed. As he seated himself, she leaned up against the dresser set, looking at him seriously.

"Now, please tell me what happened to you today," she asked politely.

Martin took a deep breath in, calming down. "Well, I was up on a ridge in the Appalachian mountains, when I saw a storm coming. As I walked down the path into the woods, I think I was struck by lightning. The last thing I saw was your face. I was human, before. I was on Earth, in a place called Tennessee," he finished.

"Well. That doesn't help much. I suppose I should explain to you where you are, then. You are in Erinel, an elven city inside of the Great Forest Kimella, in the eastern portion of the continent Kilean. Got that?" She asked, pausing for a moment.

Martin nodded in response, even though he was still completely lost. "Uh.. Sure," he said with a voice that shook slightly.

"Well. Maybe I should show you around the village. You need to get used to your new body. Put on that tunic and hose, and meet me outside," she said, standing and leaving the treehouse. He stood, noticing the clothes on the end table. He put them on and stepped out into his new world.


	2. Baby Steps

As he stepped out into the open, Martin was overwhelmed by how massive the whole spectacle was. It took him some time to sort through it all. Here he was, standing on a large branch of a massive tree, almost fifty feet above the ground. The tree was a dark brown with smooth bark and giant round leaves. Around him were more, similar trees, with bridges and ladders and doorways seemingly grown into them. He could smell the pollen in the air, and hear the quiet groan of the trees swaying in the gentle breeze. He could also hear voices, both male and female. He marveled at this a moment before noticing the elven woman watching him, smiling. She chuckled gently, before asking "Do you like what you see?"

"Uh... I don't really like heights, but yeah." Martin said, a little unsure of what might happen if he fell.

"Come with me." And with this, she tuned away, walking across the branch to a central nexus of boughs. As he followed her, he noticed that her red cape had bright gold trim, and looked like something of great value. He trailed behind as she led him in silence to the ground below. After a short walk, she brought him to a small clearing around a stream with a moss-covered log. She motioned Martin to sit on the log. She stood in front of him, feet planted wide, and arms crossed over her belly. She had a serious face, but it wasn't angry or hostile.

"Before I answer your questions, tell me who you are," she said.

Suddenly remembering that important detail, he answered quickly. "I'm Martin Rosenthal. I work... Well, I suppose that doesn't matter anymore. More importantly, who are you?" He asks.

"I am Alleyne, Master Warrior of this city. I am the Master of the Rellium Warriors Guild, and am responsible for training of fighters and the safety of the city. I have been told to babysit you," she said, a twinge irked at him getting dumped on her. "But if the Shamans say it's important, it must be."

Taken aback by the importance of his 'babysitter', Martin stammered out "B-but I'm not important at all. No way a guildmaster should be watching me."

She once again made him wonder what he'd gotten into as she jumped a good eight feet to a low branch and settled herself on it, offering an embarrassing view of her thighs. "I do not understand, either. But it seems that the Shamans want me to watch you, so I shall. But first, I need to tell you what a bit about the world you've entered," she said, pausing for him to nod in understanding. "This, Rellium, is the Elven capital city, in the forest of Kimella. It is home to the Legion of Elite Warriors, the most skilled groups of Elven soldiers on Erehwon. It is also the place of the Tree of Life, which houses the palace of the King and Queen. This city has been the home of our government for as long as we have had a King. Do you have any questions yet?" she stopped, offering a moment for inquiry.

While fairly overwhelmed by the situation, Martin knew full well that his best option was to roll with the punches. "You seem pretty relaxed about me. How long was I out?" he asked her.

"You were asleep for almost three days as the Shamans studied you. They closed themselves in their chambers as they debated what to do. They did not tell me their reasons, but they did tell me you were important. They placed you under my tutelage, and told me that I was to care for you and teach you to fight," she explained patiently.

Pausing a bit at how long he had been asleep, he continued asking questions "How am I supposed to fight if I don't even know what I can do? I know for sure that I wasn't able to jump like you just did in my old body. What else can you do?" he asked.

"I will help you, but you must learn for yourself. If you wish, we could start now." she told him as she deftly dropped to the ground. The cloak billowed gently as she landed, and as she stood straight, it became obvious to him that she had earned her title. She carried herself with an air of confidence and command that reminded him of an Army Ranger he had seen once.

"If you think so." He said, not wanting to flounder about in front of her. sm

"Good. We should start with the greatest asset of the Elves. Our speed and agility." She said as she tugged her glove-like bracers tighter on her arms. With this, she turned and jumped back onto the limb that she had left. It was about four feet in diameter, and reached out about twenty feet from the tree. When she landed on it, he could see that it didn't move much and seemed very sturdy. She turned to him, saying "Now, you try."

"Well... If you say so," Martin said. Giving his all he launched into the air, sailed over Alleyne's head and slammed headlong into a tree. Grabbing desperately, he slid down a couple feet before peeling off and landing with a thud. As he lay there, more embarrassed than actually hurt, he could hear Alleyne laughing at the amusing oversight. Through that laughter, Martin could hear her say "Zero points."

He stood and dusted himself off, turning to look at her with an indignant face. Looking up at her he said "How was I supposed to know how high I can jump? Last time I jumped I was a man, not an elf," he reminded the warrior.

She gracefully landed next to him, looking up at the branch. "I suppose that is true. Keep trying," she said as she hopped back on the branch, a jump almost twice her height, with ease. Sighing with exasperation he tried again, this time getting closer to the mark. Each time, he jumped, he came closer. After his fifth jump, he managed to land on the branch. As he hit, his foot turned a little and he fell off, again eliciting a giggle from his mentor. "You at least hit the tree. Two points."

Martin shrugged, happy that he got that close. He tried one last time, and lit upon the branch and managed to keep his feet this time. She smiled at him and hopped to another branch. "You made it this time. Five points." She jumped over to another, further branch and motioned to him. "Now over here."

He let out a sound of pain and frustration. Deciding give his all for her, he leaped to the other branch. Even though he was sure he was going to miss, he hit the branch, grappled it, and pulled up onto it. When he gained his footing, he looked at her smugly. She nodded slightly, saying "You made it in your first try, even though it was not a solid landing. Four points."

Martin's agility improved by leaps and bounds as Alleyne leaped ahead of him and he followed her about the forest. This continued for another four hours before the sun began to set. As the light grew golden and the day came to a close, the sounds of the night began to rise. Martin could hear frogs chirping and see bats coming out to hunt the insects of the dark. In spite of it only being dusk, Martin found he was having issues seeing. He stopped trying to follow Alleyne for a moment and called out "Hey, I can't see well anymore."

Alleyne turned to look at him, saying "We can see in light and in dark, but dusk is a difficult time for our eyes. But with proper training and caution we can overcome it to a degree. This is why I'm going to keep training you until morning, so you can understand better what you are capable of." He stopped a moment and looked around, taking stock of his condition. He did not feel tired in the least, even though he had probably traveled a good sixteen miles that day. He thought to himself about how how amazing this new body was, and how much he had to learn about it.


End file.
